1.
The first sign of the fall was dryness.
Crack.
The fleshy body of the monster, which had been glistening with blood and oil, began to dry up from the ends.
The second sign was Ruby’s warning.
Ruby, who had been the first to notice the anomaly, reported it with a sigh.
“We’re falling.”
It’s fine.
It was something we had expected.
“Estimated time of fall?”
“About three…”
“Three minutes will be enough.”
“I… one…”
No sooner had the seconds ended than the monster’s body crumbled like a fallen leaf, and everyone began to plummet together.
“…!!!”
Wait,
Isn’t 1, 2, 3 the national rule?
Too shocked to even scream, everyone froze, except for Luna, who watched in amazement even as they fell.
“As expected from our leader…!! You don’t even seem surprised…!!”
“Hehe…! Didn’t everyone feel it just now…!! Now that you’ve regained so much power, would such a fall really be a threat to the leader…!!”
“That’s right. Leader─! We trusted you…!!”
What is all this? Save me.
While falling, quickly approaching the ground, I stared with no resolve. My awakened survival instinct began to spin tightly.
‘Can I survive like this?’
Impossible.
‘Should I ask the others to save me?’
They’d suspect me. It might be dangerous like last time with Ruby.
‘Will the others prepare themselves automatically?’
Perhaps. Maybe not.
‘Damn, do I have any useful skills?’
…Yeah, there is.
It just appeared, didn’t it?
‘Huh?’
Now that I think about it, what time is it?
With that final question, my self-posed, unanswered game of Q&A ended.
“The ground is approaching.”
Immediately after Ruby’s warning, the members prepared to land.
Ruby deployed a fleshy parachute, Dalan prepared his legs, Hanlyang tightly hugged Luna in preparation for the impact.
And Nahan,
‘Once a day, right? It’s past twelve, once a day, right? It’s past twelve…’
Repeatedly mentally mashed Black Wolf’s second skill – Invincible.
1km.
800m.
500m.
The barren village-like expanse between the noble lands grew closer.
200m.
50m.
5m.
Just as the distance from the ground was less than 5m and death loomed,
【Skill 2 – Invincible Activated】
【Countdown begins.】
【Time Limit: 80 seconds.】
Thud.
The moment Skill 2 – Invincible activated, I landed on the ground.
‘Uh, uh, uh, uh.’
I almost fell over but recovered thanks to my excellent reflexes.
The skill’s effect was undeniable.
We fell from such a height, yet I wasn’t even scratched.
‘Is it canceling out all the impact as if it never happened? …Anyway, this saves me.’
It seemed that the phrase “invincible for 80 seconds” wasn’t just an idle claim.
‘…This is real.’
I was so dazed, it felt like I’d stepped into a game with a broken physics engine.
Thud, thud.
As I unconsciously brushed off dust from my clothes, the other members also landed and approached me in their own ways.
“What? Leader! You just fell like that!? From that height!?”
“Being young is great, isn’t it?”
“That’s not a youth issue!! How much stronger do you intend to get?!”
Ruby, who approached in shock, and Dalan, who stroked his chin, both looked over.
‘I’m so shocked I can’t even speak yet.’
As I turned my gaze to the sky to catch my breath, the two serious faces approached me, clearly impressed.
“Of course you knew, Leader.”
“Indeed. Youth is great, only now do I notice.”
Notice?
What for?
Finally, unable to hold back his curiosity, Nahan took a few steps towards them and asked.
“Just what──”
Tock.
Boom!!
A subtle shock hit the back of my head, followed by a loud noise as if a heavy rock had fallen nearby.
Looking back, all I could see was a rock much larger than I had imagined.
“…?”
As I looked confused, Ruby and Dalan bowed their heads.
“Thank you, Leader. We are unharmed thanks to your protection.”
“We’ll take it from here, please give us orders.”
“…?”
What are you talking about all this while?
Unlike the clueless Nahan, Ruby and Dalan had already understood everything.
We are in the <Pale-White Wasteland> between Gardner’s County and Coppel’s Barony.
Something had lured Luna here, and destroying the monster succeeded in making us fall.
Ruby and Dalan, separated from Luna, had managed to escape the “thing’s” influence after it destroyed the monster. But Hanlyang, who had been continuously guarding Luna, was still under its sway.
That’s why,
The massive rock imbued with aura which Hanlyang had thrown at us was deflected, sparing us thanks to the Leader.
‘Truly the Leader.’
Ruby’s eyes sparkled with starlight as she looked up at Nahan.
‘After that incident, I thought you had lost most of your power. Was it just an unnecessary fear of an old man’s?’
Nahan’s gaze met Dalan’s, who now exuded a sense of relief.
Nahan looked at the two without averting his gaze, deeply pondering.
‘That rock is really enormous.’
We would have been obliterated if hit.
Thud.
Nahan leaned his back against the rock.
‘Hanlyang and Luna must have moved a bit further away.’
Using his sharp insight to predict the situation, Nahan asked the two.
“Is it okay if I rest?”
I will calm my mind, please find Hanlyang.
Worried that he might appear heartless by just giving orders without doing anything, his concerns faded as the two, who had already discarded their masks, smiled brightly in response.
“Of course, Leader.”
“Please rest well.”
And with that, the two disappeared.
“They’re fast.”
Even if he was the worst Black Curtain organization boss in the world, he looked fine at times like these.
‘Anyway, it’s good.’
Aside from calming my startled heart, there was one more thing to check.
“…Are they really gone?”
After confirming the absence of any noise, Nahan’s gaze fixed on a single point.
【Main Scenario – <The Unsaved> has begun.】
【Would you like to accept the basic information?】
【Accept / Decline】
A system window floated the moment Luna’s absorption rate surpassed 50% after the monster’s destruction.
I could’ve accepted right away, but Nahan chose to wait.
After all,
‘This is a scenario I’ve never seen before.’
The main scenario of <Babylonia> revolves around the <Hero> and their group.
Though it ended in a bad ending, that was the main plot of this novel.
In other words, the episode titled <The Unsaved> is a completely new story that never appeared in either the original or the setting book.
‘With all the things to worry about, my head already hurts. Like other quests, there’s no penalty here, should I just decline?’
But there was the possibility of acquiring information.
Despite the hard work, while I had gathered some basic information, crucial memories like the character’s past hadn’t been retrieved yet.
Nahan thought deeply.
The main quest’s goal is to save the Emperor and the Hero.
In other words, the two haven’t been saved.
‘Then, wouldn’t this <basic information> contain something about the Emperor or the Hero?’
Even if it was given at an oddly suspicious timing,
‘If there’s no penalty either way, it would be better to accept something.’
After finishing his deliberation, Nahan leaned against the rock again and pressed the accept button.
Kaboom!
“Ugh!”
The feeling of falling backwards hit me as if I misjudged the step count, and I toppled over.
“What? Clearly it was a rock…”
Frowning, I turned back, but the rock had vanished.
That wasn’t all.
The surrounding <Pale-White Wasteland> had disappeared without a trace, and an endless expanse of darkness spread out around me.
“What is this…?”
As my survival instinct kicked in again, I quickly rose to my feet at the moment.
Step-step-step…
A sound came from behind.
It sounded like a child running with force, with short and light footsteps.
In an instant, I turned my head and looked, but the vision was restricted as if thick fog had settled.
‘Three meters? …No, about five meters.’
Calmly assessing the visibility range, Nahan checked the remaining duration of Invincible.
【Time Limit: 15 seconds.】
Unfortunately, it’s not the worst.
After all, it means I can examine this place for 15 seconds without worry.
Step-step-step…
As the footstep sounds came closer, Nahan pondered again.
‘If I stand still and wait, the effect of Invincible will end before I encounter this existence.’
But what if I run?
‘About 15 meters. I can meet them before the Invincible effect ends.’
If I’m going to meet them anyway, it’s better to meet while being a little safer.
The moment Nahan finished thinking, he turned around.
The speed at which the child ran.
And the speed at which he himself was running.
‘Twelve seconds… Eleven seconds…’
Before the effect ends, if I meet and it’s an enemy, I’ll cut them down with my sword.
Swish!
An eerie shadow split left and right, and something with a mix of gold and green hues lunged at Nahan.
‘Threat. Kill. Kill before dying.’
Clack.
Just as Black Wolf’s sword was about to reveal its blade for the first time since being possessed,
“Found you! Now I’m the seeker with youuu!!?”
“A child?”
A small child, not even waist-high, hesitated and stepped back as they tried to leap at him.
“…Demon?”
“I’m human.”
Still keeping his hand on his sword, his response made the child gasp and retreat.
“Nope. You seem like a demon.”
“I’m human.”
“Demon King.”
“Ugh.”
As he sighed and furrowed his brow, the child grinned, clearly amused.
“Joke.”
“…”
“Ah! Self-introduction.”
Swish-swish.
The startled child wiped their hands on the dirty white T-shirt, much larger than their body, and raised their hand to smile.
“Luna!”
“…What?”
“My name is Luna! And…”
The emerald-eyed girl, as she began to rub her scar-filled face, added boldly,
“I’m still not dead!”
Maybe I’ll die soon, though!
2.
The girl dreamt every night.
– Smile brightly, only then can you survive.
-Let’s do it right, smile even more.
-Even brighter, so your mouth splits.
-That’s how you survive.
She had to smile to survive in that terrible circus where she lived.
And yet, she had never woken up crying or startled.
-Don’t tremble, only then can you survive.
-When it’s too hard, cry behind the mask.
-Strengthen yourself.
-One day, you’ll be able to smile even while wearing the mask.
Because she had to survive.
That’s why she closed her eyes.
Because she had to survive.
…Isn’t that right, Mom?
“Correct. You’re doing well as you’ve learned.”
【Infiltration Rate: …80%.】
【<Mother(S-)> is awakening.】
3.
Immediately after the Black Wolf’s permission, the pair sprinted to where the rock had flown and successfully found Hanlyang and Luna.
In a corner of the <Pale-White Wasteland>.
Amidst the dense fog, stood the shredded remains of a circus tent.
Sensing something, Ruby, with trembling hands, asked Dalan.
“Do we need to kill?”
“We have to.”
“Is there another way?”
“No. …Not for us.”
A short silence.
“Don’t die, Dalan.”
“Rather you, the Director.”
Swish.
The two entered the tent.
